Tiller tender accessory for small boats



Oct. 18, 1966 R. o. YOUNG 3,279,410

TILLER TENDER ACCESSORY FOR SMALL BOATS Filed June 14, 1965 55 Ama e/*4Mam/6 37 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,279,410 TILLER TENDER ACCESSORY FOR SMALL BOATSRobert 0. Young, 609 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, Calif. FiledJune 14, 1965, Ser. No. 463,661 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-172) This inventionrelates to small boats and more particularly to a simple accessoryreadily installable crosswise thereof for use in holding the tiller in adesired position and for readily adjusting it to different positions.

Operators of small sailboats are ofttimes burdened with the task ofcontinuously minding the tiller to keep the boat on a desired course.Under many sailing conditions it is feasible to keep the tiller in adesired position for an extended period of time. Various proposals havebeen advanced intended to meet this need. However, the devicesheretofore provided for this purpose are not easily added to a boat bythe novice and most are objectionably complex, bulky and ditficult touse and in general have inadequate provision for locking the tiller indifferent selected positions as well as for easily and quickly changingthe tiller to a different position.

With the foregoing and other disadvantages of the prior art tillerconstructions in mind, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a simple, inexpensive tiller tending accessory which can bequickly installed in a wide range of boat sizes and types without needfor tools or changes in the boat structure. In addition, the inventionaccessory is instantly convertible between manual and nonmanual controlof the tiller. Furthermore, so long as adjusted for nonmanual controlthe accessory is easily and quickly adjusted to shift the position ofthe tiller without need for deactivating the nonmanual control. Afurther and important feature is the fact that the present accessory isso easily attached to the boat that it can be positioned for use in amatter of seconds and as quickly removed thereby avoiding thepossibility of theft. To this end the accessory is equipped withspring-activated pressure clamps for holding it firmly anchored inoperating position, as between the interioropposite sides of the boat.The remaining subassembly is readily clamped in place on the tiller andis so small and lacking in utility for other purposes that it can safelybe left in place on the tiller when the boat is not in use.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providea simple, inexpensive tiller tender accessory adapted to beself-supporting within hte boat and cooperating with means carried bythe tiller to render the latter manually or nonmanually controllable atthe users option.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a tiller tenderaccessory including a main subassembly adapted to be frictionally heldin place within the boat and a cooperating detent subassembly attachableto the tiller.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading thefollowing specification and claims and upon considering in connectiontherewith the attached drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the tiller tender ina typical operating environment and in use to hold the tiller anchoredagainst movement;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale showing thetiller in cross-section;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing parts of thetender in section; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 onFIGURE 3.

Referring initially more particularly to FIGURE 1,

3,279,410 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 there is shown a preferred embodimentof the tiller tender accessory designated generally 10 mounted crosswisebetween the opposite sides of a small sailboat 11. The rudder, notshown, has an operating shaft 12 projecting upwardly through the centerof the aft end of the boat. Tiller 13 has a bifurcated end straddlingthe upper end of shaft 12 and pivoted thereto by pin 14 and permittingthe tiller to be raised and lowered as it is used to rotate the tillershaft either clockwise or counterclockwise as required to keep the boaton a desired course.

When not being manually controlled, the tiller is equipped with a detentdesignated generally 16 which can be inserted in a desired positionalong device 10 to hold the tiller against pivotal movement in eitherdirection.

The principal subassembly of the tiller tender will now be described bythe aid of FIGURES 2 to 4. The device includes a main body tube 18having a pair of mounting or clamping tubes 19, 20 loosely supported inits opposite ends and urged outwardly to their respective extendedpositions by compression springs 21, 21 housed within tube 18. Desirablyeach of tubes 19 and 20 are retained against dissassembly from tube 18as by a friction detent spring 23 of generally C-configuration. Thiskeeper spring is mounted near the inner ends of tubes 19, 20 and has adetent 24 projecting outwardly through an opening 25 in the side wall ofthe tubes. The outer end of detent 24 is preferably slightly rounded andbears under considerable pressure against the interior side wall of tube18.

The outer ends of tubes 19, 20 are preferably capped, as with a plasticthimble 27, having their outer end surfaces socketed in sphericaldepression 28 of a cup-shaped member 29. This member is filled with aresilient bearing pad 30. It will be understood that the extension andcontraction capacity of the described main subassembly is such that thedevice is readily accommodated between the opposite sides of small boatsof a wide range of sizes and designs. As herein illustrated, theaccessory is mounted between the vertical sides 33 of seats customarilyextending along either interior side of the boat. However, in otherboats the bearing pads 30 would bear against the gunwales or any otherappropriate and convenient structure to either side of the tiller.

An important component of the tender is a relatively large diameter,stiff coil spring 35 of the open-wound type. The opposite ends of thisspring are shown seated in grooves 36 on the ends of knurled collars 37suitably fixed to the opposite ends of tube 18. It will be understoodthat spring 35 is rotatable about its own axis relative to grooves 36.Alternatively, the entire tubular structure may rotate about its ownaxis within sockets 28 of the friction pads 30 as torquing force isapplied to spring 35 or to knurled collars 37.

Detent subassembly 16 is held firmly clamped to the tiller handle at apoint overlying accessory 10, as by a band clamp 39. As here shown, thisband is of the type having rows of slots extending at an angle crosswiseof one end and within which a worm screw 40 operates. This worm screw isrotatably mounted in member 41 suitably secured to the clamping band.Screw 40 has a head 42 formed with a kerf 43 to receive a tool bit tooperate the screw. Straddling the adjustable clamping means for theclamp is a stirrup 45 having a long detent blade 46 projecting outwardlyfrom its bight portion in a manner clearly shown in FIGURE .3. Desirablythis detent projects from either end of stirrup 45 to the end that thetiller can be rotated through a substantial arc to either side of itscenter position with one or the other of its ends positioned forinsertion between the turns of spring 35.

The mode of installing the described tiller tender and using the same tomind the tiller will be readily understood from the foregoing detaileddescription of its construction and the relationship of its componentsto one another. -In preparing to use the device, the operator simplygrasps the opposite ends 19 and 20 of the main subassembly and pressesthe pad of one against an interior support of the boat while retractingthe other tube, as 20, until its friction pad can be seated against theother side of the boat thereby firmly anchoring the accessory closelybelow the tiller in the manner shown in FIGURE 1. The detent subassemblyis then clamped to the shaft of the tiller with its detent centered overthe central portion of coil spring 35. Once this detent assembly hasbeen secured in place using an ordinary screwdriver to tighten clamp 39,subassembly 16 may be left permanently installed on the tiller.

Once the boat is in open water and stabilized on a selected course, thehelmsman may look the tiller in a desired position simply by lowering ituntil detent 46 nests between adjacent convolutions of spring 35.Desirably the coils of the spring are so positioned when anchoringcollars 37 are in place as to frictionally grip the opposite sides ofthe detent and thereafter cooperate in gripping the detent to safeguardagaints its accidental dislodgement from spring 35. It will beunderstood that the spring is sufficiently long that the tiller can beadjusted to any position through a relatively wide angle of ad-'justment.

The helmsman may lift the tiller from the spring at any time by applyinga positive upward force and then continue to steer the boat manually,returning the tiller to nonmanual control quickly and at any time and inany desired position.

It not infrequently happens that the helmsman may Wish to shift thecourse of the boat while under nonmanual control and this can be done bylifting the detent from the spring and resetting it in a differentlyadjusted position. Alternatively a small change in course is easilyobtained by grasping coil 35 or knurled collars 37 and torquing thespring either clockwise or counterclockwise, as appropriate, to shiftdetent 46 and the attached tiller in the desired direction.

When mooring the boat at the end of the day, accessory is quicklydetached simply by grasping one of the anchor tubes '19 or 20 andpushing it axially toward the other in opposition to spring 21. As thisis done the device is lifted from between the sides of the boat andcarried to a place of safe storage until again needed.

While the particular tiller tender accessory for small boats hereinshown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objectsand providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understoodthat it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention and that no limitations are intended to the details ofconstruction or design herein shown other than as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A tiller tender accessory for use on boats to hold the tillerselectively in different positions, said accessory comprising elongatedrigid support means engageable at its ends with the boat structureadjacent the opposite sides of the boat tiller, a stiff open-wound coilspring supported coaxially of said rigid support means between the endsthereof and detent means securable to the tiller and shaped to beinserted radially between the convolutions of said spring andcooperating therewith to hold said tiller in a desired adjusted positionso long as said detent means remains captive between a selected pair ofspring convolutions.

2. A tiller tender accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in theprovision of means for holding the op posite ends of said coil springagainst movement axially of said rigid support means but free forrotation about the axis thereof, whereby rotation of said spring iseffective to shift said detent means lengthwise of said spring to adjust'the tiller to a diiferent position.

3. A tiller tender accessory having an elongated tubular main bodyprovided with means at its ends engageable with boat structure to holdsaid accessory rigidly supported horizontally crosswise of the boatbeneath the boat tiller, a stiif open-wound coil spring encircling themidportion of said main body, detent means adapted to be mounted on theportion of the tiller overlying said coil spring and adapted to have adetent thereon pressed between a selected pair of adjacent springconvolutions and cooperating therewith to hold the tiller in a desiredadjusted position to hold the boat on a selected course.

4. A tiller tender accessory as defined in claim 3 characterized in thatsaid tubular main body includes springpressed support pad meansprojecting from its opposite ends and adapted to support said accessoryrigidly between structure on the opposite sides of the boat.

5. A tiller tender as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said coilspring is rotatable about its own axis when grasped by the hand andtorqued.

spring means, and effective to hold said accessory supportedhorizontally crosswise of the rear end of a boat,

an open-wound stiff coil spring encircling said tube, and

detent means cl-ampableto a tiller and having a detent adapted to beinserted between adjacent convolutions of said coil spring and to beshifted axially of said tube as said coil spring is rotated about theaxis thereof.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. A. FARRELL, Assistant Examiner,

1. A TILLER TENDER ACCESSORY FOR USE ON BOATS TO HOLD THE TILLERSELECTIVELY IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, SAID ACCESSORY COMPRISING ELONGATEDRIGID SUPPORT MEANS ENGAGEABLE AT ITS END WITH THE BOAT STRUCTUREADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BOAT TILLER, A STIFF OPEN-WOUND COILSPRING SUPPORTED COAXIALLY OF SAID RIGID SUPPORT MEANS BETWEEN THE ENDSTHEREOF AND DETENT MEANS SECURABLE TO THE TILLER AND SHAPED TO BEINSERTED RADIALLY BETWEEN THE CONVOLUTIONS OF SAID SPRING ANDCOOPERATING THEREWITH TO HOLD SAID TILLER IN A DESIRED ADJUSTED POSITIONSO LONG AS SAID DETENT MEANS REMAINS CAPTIVE BETWEEN A SELECTED PAIR OFSPRING CONVOLUTIONS.